What to Leave Behind in 2017 for a Better 2018

When a new year begins, it’s a good time to start off on the right foot with a clean slate. As the year progresses, good intentions and even the best of plans sometimes fall to the wayside. Throw in holiday parties and long weekends and before you know it, your work ethic is marginal at best. Once January hits, it’s time to dust off your planner, throw away bad habits and get into a good routine for the New Year. It’s a good time to set new goals, try new practices and generally do better than you did the prior year in the workplace.

And sure, there are plenty of practices that you utilized in the prior year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you should leave in 2017. By starting fresh in 2018, you’ll be your best to make 2018 the best year for your career yet.

Leave behind the notion that resolutions never lastEnough excuses about not changing your bad habits. Sure many resolutions are made and not kept, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to improve yourself. You have the power to keep your resolutions, and if you walk into 2018 saying “why bother, resolutions never last” then you’re right, they won’t. But if you walk into 2018 with a fresh perspective that you can and will keep your resolutions, then you’ll look back a year from now amazed at how you improved your life and your career. Knowing that your resolution is possible will help you to have a better chance of keeping it and make your 2018 career wishes to come true.

Leave behind the snooze buttonWhoever invented the snooze button was a cruel genius. For many of us, getting out of our cozy beds to head to work is the hardest part of the day, and the snooze button only extends the torture. Make 2018 a year that you don’t hit snooze. Make it the year that you wake up, look out the window and say, it’s a new day! Let’s tackle it. You’ll find your morning is less rushed, and you can use the extra time that you would have otherwise spent on groggily hitting the snooze button to properly wake up with breakfast and a cuppa joe. You’ll start your day on the right foot, and your day will have a solid foundation. If you have a tight relationship with your snooze button, consider moving your alarm away from your bed so you must get up on time.

Leave behind your disorganizationBeing organized is the easiest way to work smarter, not harder. While initially getting organized may be time consuming, once you are organized, you’ll find that you can save time, save money and enjoy less stress in your life. In business especially, organization is important to success. Whether you start small with just organizing your calendar, or tackling a larger project such reorganizing your office to make it a more functional workspace, your work day will go much smoother. If you commit to organizing different parts of your work and life over time, it will eventually come natural so you’re able to spend time focussing on work rather than trying to figure out when a project is due or where your document is saved.

Leave behind ordering out for lunch every dayEspecially for the office at city center, ordering out each day for lunch can be an easy alternative to packing lunch. With so many options at your fingertips, lunch can become less of a meal and more of a midday distraction, especially if cocktails are involved. Rather than using it as a feeding time solution everyday, why not consider using it as a weekly or monthly treat? You’ll save money and time. While lunch breaks are important, and a good time to chat with coworkers or clear your head, if you focus on your work day while you’re at work it’ll drag less into your after hours and help keep your day focused. Packing a lunch for your work day also helps you stay healthy because you have better control over what you’re eating. A good meal can help you tackle your work day with focus.

Leave behind a job that you don’t loveIf you’re looking back at the dawn of 2017 when you said you didn’t want to be in the same job at the end of the year, and realizing you’re in the exact same boat as 2018 begins, now is the time for change. If you are in a job you don’t love, figure out what you need to do to get into a better place. Do you need to take training courses? Do you need to move, or be more assertive or network? Do whatever you need to do to to find yourself in a better position twelve months from now. Look for the job that makes you want to get up and go to work each day, a job that makes you passionate, a job that inspires you and makes a difference. Work in a job that lets you be the best version of yourself.

Leave behind the office gossipOffice gossip, an easy trap to fall into, is best avoided entirely. It’s one thing to chat with coworkers, but it is another to chat about other coworkers. If you get involved in conversations that are unnecessary or possibly not true, chances are you will get involved in drama that won’t help you to advance your career. It’s unhealthy and toxic to engage in gossip, so focus your conversations on productive topics or stories about your own life that don’t unnecessarily end up being office gossip. If you’re supposed to know something, you’ll find out when necessary.A new year is a great time to start over fresh and to rid your life of bad career habits. Improving your career will make 2018 your best year yet.